Does hair colour really matter in terms of skin tone?

I’m sure you’ve read countless posts explaining the ins and outs of choosing the correct hair colour for your skin tone. While I generally agree with the premise, I know that I personally don’t fit that mould.

Obviously this was a question to pose to my hair guru, David Gillson; Master Stylist, Partner at Carlton Hair Hyde Park, and the ONLY person on earth I trust to colour my hair. Really – every time anyone else has done it, there have been tears.

“There will always be the colour ‘norms’ of staying within your tone family (warm skin tones suit warm colours etc), as this will always be easy to live with and style. Basically, staying within your tone family means that you’ll look great with and without makeup”, explains David.

“Having said that, it doesn’t mean you can’t stray. You just need to commit to the effort required to make it look good”, he continues. This often means wearing more makeup and changing your wardrobe, as different tone families call for different accompaniments. For example, David says I could pull of a Dita von Teese-esque long blue-black mane, but would have to wear full-coverage foundation and a perfectly lined red lip to avoid looking like a confused goth teenager. Which is why I don’t have it – I just wouldn’t be able to sell it (to myself or anyone else).

Dita von Teese (Shutterstock)

I have a friend who despite her very warm undertone, decided she wanted to be platinum blonde. In theory it shouldn’t have worked, but she was adamant and manages to pull it off with aplomb thanks to a carefully curated closet, considered makeup application, and an attitude that makes you think she is sporting her natural hair colour. See – commitment and determination will get you everywhere. Well, platinum blonde at the very least.

“At the end of the day, it’s just hair, so go for it! People won’t be confined to boxes anymore – they want what they want, when they want it, and why not? A bad cut will grow, the wrong colour can be fixed and you’ll soon forget about any disasters”, grins David.

And if you want to entrust your locks to the fabulous David, you’ll find him most days at Carlton Hair Hyde Park (011) 325 4916, and also makes regular trips down to Carlton Hair Constantia Village (021) 794 4417. You can also stalk him on Instagram here.